Voldemort's Weapon
by punkchick13370
Summary: The Trio come back to Hogwarts for their sixth year when rumors arise of a great and terrible beast that Voldemort himself created in order to destroy his enemies...
1. The DemonBeast

Chapter One: The Demon-Beast  
  
A/N: Everything in their fifth year happened EXCEPT: Sirius did not die. And to be downright honest, who really wants him to be dead any way? Whoever doesn't, they can come fight me. But I'm warning you now, I've got an imaginary friend and he's HUGE!   
  
Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione. He was so glad to be back at Hogwarts after all that had happened only a few months ago. Harry hardly noticed that another table had been set up that contained many of the Order and the Weasleys, and many other guests. Even Oliver Wood sat at the table.   
  
The Sorting began, and Harry was growing very bored. And hungry. Very hungry, in fact.   
  
"Psst. Harry," came an all too familiar whisper. Harry's head wheeled around, and looked at the table that contained the guests. Lupin was sitting next to someone in a black hooded cloak. "Guess who?" his godfather whispered.   
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione ducked inconspicuously, and joined them at the other table. "What are you doing?" hissed Hermione. "You could be seen!"   
  
"Relax, Hermione. As long as nobody starts shouting it," Sirius said quietly. "Anyway, we've got to talk to you three."   
  
"About what?" Harry asked curiously.   
  
"You haven't been reading the Prophet?" Lupin asked, shocked.   
  
"No," replied the three sixteen-year-olds.   
  
"I'm surprised. I would have thought that now you three would be reading the Daily Prophet as much as you could," said Sirius.   
  
"Why does it matter if we've read the newspaper or not?" Harry asked eagerly.   
  
"It's just been found to the Ministry -- Voldemort's gotten another weapon. From what spies from the Ministry reported, it's a horrible, twenty-foot tall beast with incredible powers. It's been reported that it is able to slaughter anything in its path," Sirius said under his breath as McGonagall got to "Krawk, Justin".   
  
"How terrible," Hermione said, her hand over her mouth.   
  
"It gets worse," Lupin said, leaning forward in his seat. "They've said that the demon - that's what everyone's sure it is - has over-powered Voldemort and left on its own accord."   
  
"Demon?" inquired Harry.   
  
"In short, it's a really bad monster," Sirius said shortly.   
  
"And what has Dumbledore said about all this?" asked Ron.   
  
"Nothing," Sirius said, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. "Whenever someone tries to talk to him about it, the old man goes and changes the subject!"   
  
"Sirius, shut up," growled Lupin, as they were getting some odd stares.   
  
"Sorry," muttered Sirius. "Anyway, it was all over the newspapers and magazines. Everyone's really concerned. Especially a lot of the teachers. They think it might try to attack Hogwarts. And if it left Voldemort that easily, it can easily corrupt the school."   
  
"D'you think that's likely?" asked Ron, whose face had gone a nasty pale-green color.   
  
"More than likely," supplied Lupin.   
  
"But Dumbledore won't even touch on the subject," Sirius added bitterly. "He'd better have a good reason."   
  
Just after the Sorting had finished and everyone was eating, one of the double-doors to the Great Hall was heaved open. A girl with black hair that went all the way down to her thighs, silver eyes, and a fair complexion entered. As if her eyes weren't strange enough, the girl wore a man's kimono (Hermione had forced them to read during the summer) A/N: For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a kimono is… SILLY GOOSES! Anyway, it's a loose robe traditionally worn by Japanese, though for the males, instead of a robe, it's usually an outfit that has a shirt with a sash in the front with very wide sleeves and pants that are very loose around the legs.  
  
Many people sniggered at the girl's appearance. "Nice kimono," sniggered Ron.   
  
It seemed everyone was staring at the girl as she stood in the doorway. Harry glanced up at Dumbledore, who nodded to the girl and gestured her inside.  
  
The girl, who looked to be about Harry's age, nodded, and entered, eyes averted from everyone. She walked, eyes still down at the floor, over to the guest table. She stood in front of Lupin and Sirius, and very quietly asked, "May I sit here?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Sure."   
  
Sirius and Lupin quickly moved over, both obviously intrigued by this girl. She sat down, still looking intently at her shoes, her delicate face a scarlet.   
  
After about five minutes, Hermione attempted to begin conversation. "So, erm, what did you say your name was?" she asked interestedly.   
  
At last, the girl looked up. "I didn't. My name is Wren Isaacs. And you are?" she said, giving a brief smile to Hermione, who returned it.   
  
"Hermione. Hermione Granger. That's Ron Weasley, and sitting next to him is Harry Potter. This is Professor Lupin, and Siri- -- oof!" Harry quickly stepped on her foot.   
  
Wren smiled. "It's all right. He was framed. I know," she said.   
  
"How did you know that?" Harry asked curiously.   
  
"Erm, it'd be best if I wait to tell you that," Wren said, looking behind her.   
  
"Er, okay."   
  
An hour passed, and by that time, everyone was very full. Harry's waistline was bulging, and he was reclining in his chair.   
  
Suddenly, with bursts of green flames from all over the Great Hall, at least a dozen Death Eaters appeared, wands out. Screams erupted from the tables.   
  
"Damn," muttered Wren. She got up, and Harry latched onto her forearm. She looked down at his hand, confused.   
  
"Wait! What are you doing?" Harry demanded, not letting go.   
  
Wren gave a small smile. "Harry, have you heard of that horrible beast that Voldemort trained to attack his foes?" she asked.   
  
Harry found this a rather odd question. "Yeah, so?" he said quickly. Harry released her arm.   
  
Wren smiled again. "Well, that's me." 


	2. A Wren's Power

Chapter Two: A Wren's Power  
  
Harry stared blankly after Wren as she turned. She crouched slightly, and leaped, landing some twenty feet ahead. He was in absolute shock. So was everyone else. Wren leaped again, and was in front of Lucius Malfoy, who was maskless.   
  
"Lady Wren, Master requires your return, and if you don't come cooperatively, Master instructed us to take you by force," Malfoy said, pointing his wand at her chest.   
  
"Heh! And go back to eating rats? I don't think so, Malfoy!" snapped Wren.   
  
Mr. Malfoy looked beyond frustrated. "Lady Wren, you must come back to your enclosure, to prepare for the battle. You must recall."   
  
"Malfoy, if I had a dog that had your face, I'd shave its arse and teach it to walk backward!" snapped Wren.   
  
"As you wish. Then we'll have to take you by force. Protego!" Malfoy yelled.   
  
Wren jumped up, and Harry was taken aback, as she jumped at least ten feet on her own accord. But when she landed, she landed lightly. "Really, Malfoy, I would have expected more of a challenge."   
  
"Crucio!" Malfoy yelled, sending a jet of red light at Wren. Again, she jumped up, but as she did, her wand fell from her pocket. None other than Pettigrew hurried over and snatched it up.   
  
"Wren, your wand!" Hermione cried, looking panic-stricken.   
  
"Don't hold your breath, Hermione. Now I can fight my way," Wren said, smirking at Malfoy. "Keep the wretched thing, Pettigrew, it only slows me down, trying to remember silly incantations!"   
  
"Aw, whassamatter, poor wittle baby. You afwaid to go back?" taunted Lestrange, who stood next to Malfoy, her wand out as well.   
  
"Feh! If I ever do go back, it'll be to rip out your guts and put 'em in a bowl, Lestrange," said Wren, who was still smirking. "If you had any sense, you'd all be playing dead right about now. Unless you don't want to play pretend," she added nastily.   
  
"Aw, poor wittle puppy thinks she's going to come get the big bad Bella?" mocked Lestrange.   
  
Wren only smirked. "Well, you're right about one thing, Bellatrix. You are big," she said. Malfoy sent another Cruciatus Curse her way, but she only jumped again. As she came back down, she landed on top of Bellatrix, smirking.   
  
"What are you smiling about, Isaacs? You'll be dead soon," shot Malfoy.   
  
"I was just thinking about what your face would look like when I did this…" Wren took a Galleon from her pocket and flipped it high in the air. Malfoy's eyes followed, giving Wren the perfect chance to…  
  
POW! Wren's clenched knuckles collided squarely with Lucius Malfoy's jaw, and made a sickening crack. He was knocked out by the blow.   
  
"Heh. This was easier than I thought," she said, smirking. "All right. Who's next?"   
  
"Isaacs, go back now and I won't have to harm you," threatened Nott.   
  
"Feh. Yeah, right. You harm me? Personally, Nott, if I were you right now, I'd be running for my life…or something perhaps more valuable to you," Wren said, her eyes quickly shifting up and down the man.   
  
"You wouldn't dare…" started Nott, whose voice was an octave higher.   
  
"Oh, I would. Now, let's see… An arrow would have you pinned by a very delicate part. Or a blade would make a nice clean cut. No, I'd much rather use an arrow. I don't want my blade having hacked that off," Wren said, a manic glint in her eyes. Harry winced as he realized what she was talking about.   
  
"Stupefy!" yelled Nott. Wren hopped up, and easily dodged the spell. She landed gracefully, smirking.   
  
"My turn," she said, and sprang forward twenty feet, arm outstretched. Before Nott could react, she hit him in the side of the head. Nott hit Wren in the face, but she seemed undaunted. Kicking and clawing at him, Wren seemed inhuman. Nott only got a couple more hits in before Wren sent a powerful blow to his head, knocking him unconscious. Wren picked up Malfoy's wand and muttered something. A bow and a bag of arrows appeared in her hand, and she dropped his wand.   
  
Suddenly, Harry felt two hands wrap tightly around his neck, and Harry began struggling and choking for breath. He could tell that Lupin and Sirius were already fighting against his attacker, but he had his arms locked and wasn't going let go.   
  
An arrow grazed just above Harry's head. As it passed, he could even feel the feathers. A loud gasp came from his attacker. Harry managed to look forward, where Wren stood, another arrow already in a taut bow.   
  
"Release him, Pettigrew, or the next one goes through your skull," snarled Wren. The strangling grasp was suddenly gone, and Harry fell from his seat, choking and gasping for breath. Ron and Hermione both hurried over to help him. He looked up and saw Pettigrew running.   
  
"He's going to get away!" wailed Hermione.   
  
"Not in my lifetime," snarled Wren, positioning the bow with one eye closed and her tongue between her teeth. She released the arrow, which sped far across the Great Hall and hit Pettigrew in the leg. With a yelp of pain, he fell.   
  
"Oh, I'm dying!" he wailed pathetically.   
  
"You're not dying, idgiot. The wound isn't fatal. It's just to keep your sorry hide from running away," Wren said shortly.   
  
"Look alive, impudent puppy," growled Malfoy, who had obviously come to. "Filthy Mudblood," he snapped.   
  
Wren turned, but just as she did, Malfoy shot a spell at her. She was blown backward, and fell into Harry and Ron. "Sorry," she heaved, trying to pull herself to her feet. Harry's eyes widened as he saw a deep gash on her front. "Persistent bastard!"   
  
The other (conscious) Death Eaters just watched with widened eyes.   
  
"I tried bringing you back the polite way, I tried it by the forceful way, but now, now I must kill you," snarled Malfoy.   
  
"Feh! Right, like I'd let you kill me," Wren said, dropping her bow and arrows.   
  
"What are you doing, idiot girl?" Malfoy asked, smirking.   
  
"I'd rather kill you with my bare hands."   
  
"Avada Kedavra!"   
  
Wren leaped forward, ending up being within reaching distance of him. Malfoy looked shocked for a moment, and Wren punched him in the face, again knocking him out. Just as she did, she winced, and fell to her knees. Wren grabbed her bow and held herself up with it.  
  
With another series of green flames, the other Death Eaters disappeared, taking with them, the fallen ones.   
  
"Dammit," Wren spat, putting a hand to her bleeding chest and stomach.   
  
Dumbledore got to his feet. "Bed time!" 


	3. The Explanation and the Surprise

Chapter Three: The Explanation and the Surprise  
  
Ten minutes later, the entire Order and all of the teachers were assembled in Dumbledore's office, along with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Wren sat on the floor, wrists tied behind her back, and ankles tied together as Madam Pomfrey worked to get the top of the bloody kimono off.  
  
"I don't suppose you'll enlighten me as to why you've had me tied like some sort of animal?" Wren snapped at Moody.  
  
"Niether do I," Dumbledore interjected.  
  
"Because you might do what you did to Pettigrew to one of us," Moody said gruffly. "And you'll shut up and sit there or else."  
  
Wren glowered. "I detest you," she said shortly.  
  
"I never said I pined for your approval," Moody replied coldly.  
  
"Mad-Eye, do us all a favor and shut up," snapped Tonks.  
  
"Mad-Eye?" inquired Wren.  
  
"Oh, right. It's because of his magic eye," Tonks explained. "Mad-Eye Moody."  
  
"You're telling me," mumbled Wren.  
  
"Wren, would you mind it much if we asked you a few questions?" Dumbledore asked, folding his hands on his desk.  
  
"No, I guess not," Wren said with a shrug.  
  
"All right, then. Starting with, are those ears real?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Harry heard this and was sure he had heard wrong. Once he was sure he had correctly heard, he thought Dumbledore was going mad.  
  
"Oh, you've noticed," mumbled Wren. "Yeah, they are."  
  
"What's he talking about?" Tonks asked curiously.  
  
"Er, if you flip my hair back, you'll see that I have dog ears," she said, nodding upward. Tonks quickly got out of her seat (knocking the chair down as she did) and shifted Wren's hair a bit.  
  
Harry's jaw dropped when he saw what Dumbledore had been talking about. At the top of Wren's head, there were two white, dog-like ears.  
  
"Ooh. They're so pretty," Tonks said, who was the only one who looked impressed. "I think I want to touch them." She rubbed Wren's dog-like ears, smiling. "They're so soft. Ohh, so that's why they were calling you 'puppy'."  
  
"Um, could you please stop that?" Wren said, looking hassled. Tonks quickly put her hands in her pockets, her face a bright scarlet.  
  
"Oh, yes. Sorry," muttered Tonks.  
  
"So you are a demon," Sirius said, now having taken down his hood.  
  
"No, I'm not a demon," Wren said, closing her eyes. "I am human, but Voldemort did this to me. I have the senses of a dog, well, except for sight. I'm not colorblind," she explained.  
  
"So, you can smell things as well as a dog?" Hermione asked, who looked fascinated.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. For example, the headmaster has a bag of lemon drops in his desk," Wren said.  
  
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, and smiled. "Which drawer?" he asked.  
  
"Um... The bottom one on the right side," Wren said after some thought.  
  
"Correct," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Erm, right. We should get back to those questions..."  
  
"Wren, how were you able to leave Voldemort without being desperately injured?" Lupin asked curiously.  
  
"Easily. He and the idiots were off doing something (I don't know what) and I was able to break the lock of that retched cage he kept me in," Wren said bitterly.  
  
"He kept you in a cage? Oh, you poor girl!" Mrs. Weasley said piteously.  
  
Wren looked at the floor, blushing. "Anyway, he and his henchmen saw me, but, as we all saw, I am much too fast for them. Then I got a letter from Professor Dumbledore. I knew it would burn Voldemort's soul for him to hear that I was in Hogwarts, under the nose of Albus Dumbledore himself," she explained.  
  
"Wren, do you have any idea what he's planning to do?" Dumbledore asked curiously.  
  
"Dunno. The last I heard was that he was going to use me to slaughter you, Harry, and anyone else who stood in his way from dominating the world. Heh. Guess that didn't work out so well," Wren said, smirking.  
  
"Ha! So that's what you were planning to do, isn't it? As soon as we cut those ropes, you'll attack, won't you, you filthy demon?!" Moody said, pointing accusingly at her.  
  
Wren rolled his eyes. "Idjit. Is your brain broken or something?" she said shortly.  
  
"Mad-Eye, really. The girl is severely wounded," Mrs. Weasley said, who looked quite put off.  
  
"Demon indeed," Wren said, obviously still upset. "I smell that stuff in your pocket, you know. Even the fumes are making me feel light-headed. You're obviously intoxicated."  
  
Moody glared. "Oh yeah?" he growled.  
  
"Yeah!" Wren challenged. They were both glaring at each other as though hoping daggers would come from their eyes. And if they came from Wren's eyes, Harry was sure he wouldn't be quite surprised.  
  
"Calm down, the both of you," Lupin said, getting to his feet and pushing Moody back to his seat.  
  
"She was provoked," mumbled Tonks.  
  
"Whose side are you on?!" snapped Moody.  
  
Madam Pomfrey sighed, still struggling with the top of Wren's kimono. "Hold still, Miss Isaacs, I've had enough. I've got to cut this," she said.  
  
Wren gasped, and jumped away. "I'd rather you cut me!"  
  
"You're being silly. Come here," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "That thing is already soaked with blood. There's no saving it."  
  
"Oh, and it was my favorite one, too," Wren said as Madam Pomfrey moved over in front of her. "Why on earth do you wear those things?" Madam Pomfrey said as she waved her wand and the kimono top slid easily off. A large, obviously deep gash went all the way from her navel to her chest. Even her brazier was blood-stained.  
  
"They're comfortable, warm, and they're not flaunty, like you see all the clothes are today. Nope. I'm just fine with my kimonos, thank you very much," Wren said resolutely.  
  
"Doesn't that hurt?" Sirius said, wincing as he looked at the injury.  
  
"Yeah. It's starting to, anyway. Shock kept the pain from coming for a while, I guess," Wren said.  
  
Madam Pomfrey picked up a bottle of a red potion, and opened it. "Now, this is only antiseptic to clean the wound. But mind it will hurt fairly much. Try to think of something happy, Miss Isaacs," she explained, gently pushing Wren onto her back.  
  
"Feh. That never wor- YIIIAAHH!" Wren squeezed her eyes tight, but when she opened them, she wasn't screaming. She had a dopey little smile on her face, and she gave a laugh.  
  
"What's the matter with you, Wren?" Harry asked, leaning forward.  
  
Wren looked at him and began laughing. "Hee hee hee! You have funny glasses! Hee hee hee!" She rolled onto her side, laughing hysterically.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose at her.  
  
Hermione's eyes widened. "She said she has a dog's senses. Madam Pomfrey, what is that stuff?"  
  
"Nothing but alcohol to clean her wound!" Madam Pomfrey said, sharing the same confused expression as many others.  
  
"No wonder! Wren's nose is too sensitive for that stuff... She's -- well... She's a bit 'under the influence' as one would say it," Hermione explained as the girl tried to get to her knees. She leaned over and put her handkerchief over Wren's nose. She soon came back to her senses.  
  
"Thanks for that, Hermione, I'll have to remember this," Wren said. She winced. "God, that stuff stings."  
  
"Well, would you rather an infection?" Madam Pomfrey said as she began wrapped a bandage around Wren's stomach.  
  
"Why can you just - agh - use some potion on me?" Wren said, squirming slightly.  
  
"Well, because, erm, you're not exactly all human, you see, and I didn't know if your system would reject potion," Madam Pomfrey said, her face red.  
  
Wren's face also turned red from embarrassment. "Yeah, well, you're right. Forgot to mention that, I guess. If any remedial potion or spell hits me, I'm worm food," she muttered.  
  
"Anyway, we still haven't figured out what's going to happen with Wren," said Lupin.  
  
"She'll stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid said simply.  
  
Wren shook her head. "Wish I could."  
  
"Why can't yeh?" Hagrid said curiously.  
  
"Well, Hogwarts is really easy to find for the Ministry. So, there's choice A, stay here and let the Ministry find me. I'll be murdered, no doubt. Or I could always go back to Voldemort and spy. Then I'll be murdered. No. I reckon I'll be fine on the run," she replied.  
  
Mrs. Weasley looked appalled at this. "Nonononono! You will not run anywhere. You'll starve! And you already look like you're dying! No. I refuse it," she said, shaking her head.  
  
"And didn't you say that the Minister and that - that woman are coming tomorrow to inspect the teachers, Albus?" McGonagall said, who looked very nervous.  
  
"Shit," Wren swore under her breath.  
  
"Yes, Minerva, they are. But I am certain that with a few -- alterations, Miss Isaacs would be able to fool her own mother," Dumbledore said. There was a glint in his eyes that could only mean one thing: Dumbledore was creating another one of his many ploys.  
  
"My mother's dead, you know, so I reckon it'd be pretty easy to fool her," grumbled Wren.  
  
Dumbledore inclined his head, as to look at Wren over his half-moon spectacles. "It is a figure of speech, Miss Isaacs. Miss Granger, perhaps you could -- erm -- assist Wren in the process of fitting in?" he said, his attention turning from Wren to Hermione.  
  
Hermione got up and walked around Wren, putting a finger to her chin. "I can do it. It'll be a challenge, but Wren could quite possibly look like a completely normal teenager. Some of my clothes might fit you. Mind you they'll probably be really big on you. You look like you've been starved," she said.  
  
"Yeah, well, rats aren't exactly filling," Wren muttered, her face flushed as she looked intently down.  
  
Madam Pomfrey stood up. "There. You should be in the hospital wing, but I'll allow you to go to your classes tomorrow. I suggest that you take a hot bath and go to bed early, Miss Isaacs. You look like you've lost about a year of sleep," she said. "Come to the infirmary tomorrow after you've had classes, and then I'll change your dressings."  
  
"Thanks, but I won't need to," Wren said.  
  
"Yes you will, Miss Isaacs. Do you have any idea how serious those wounds of yours are?" Madam Pomfrey said, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"Yeah, well, let's just say I don't heal like you humans," she said. "By this time tomorrow I'll be fit for another fight," Wren said. "Now, if you'll kindly remove these damned restraints..."  
  
"Oh, wait!" Hermione interrupted. "There's still one thing you need if you're going to try to fool everyone. A boyfriend."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Feh. I have no use for mortal men. They're too easily manipulated," Wren said, glaring at the floor.  
  
Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I think that's a great idea, Hermione. It'd be the finishing touch. Well, why don't one of you boys do it?" she said, nodding to Ron and Harry, who both turned pale and began stammering nonsense.  
  
"Uh...um...uh... I can't Mrs. Weasley," Harry quickly said.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
Harry desperately tried to find an excuse. Then he saw Hermione glaring at him. He immediately dove for her and threw an arm around her. "Hermione! I mean, uh, Hermione and me, we're -- er..." Hermione flushed red and pushed him away.  
  
"Harry, you worm," Hermione said, glaring at him. "It's only for a little while. And it's not even real!" she added angrily.  
  
"I don't need one of those -- mortals," Wren said scathingly.  
  
"You do want to fit in though, right?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, you have to, otherwise you'll be killed," she pointed out. "So just pick one out."  
  
"Huh?! Hermione, we are people, you know, not groceries." Harry said, who had grown considerably nervous.  
  
Just then, a smirk came across Moody's face. "Unless you prefer dogs, Isaacs," he said.  
  
"Shut up, you old cretin," Wren growled (no pun intended!).  
  
"So that's a no then?" Moody said, smirking.  
  
"What a pity, Black. We could have very well gotten you a significant other," Snape said, a nasty smile spreading across his lips.  
  
Sirius blew up at this. "Why don't you just go wash your hair, Snivellus?! She's young enough to be my daughter!"  
  
"Would you both please shut your traps?" snapped Mrs. Weasley. "Stop bickering, we're trying to help Wren."  
  
"Then remove my bindings if you want to help!" Wren said, who had gotten very impatient at having to sit on the floor on a leash like some kind of -- dog.  
  
Again, everyone ignored her plea. "It's not really necessary, you know," Harry tried on Hermione.  
  
"It'll be suspicious if she doesn't."  
  
"Say she's a loner!"  
  
"No, that won't do. Everyone will avoid her then."  
  
Harry racked his brain for another excuse. "Say she's gay!" he suggested. For that, he got a slap across the face.  
  
"That definitely won't do, because I know there's at least a few girls who might -- well -- to put it lightly, agree to that, if you know what I mean," Hermione said quietly.  
  
Harry was suddenly haulted. A mischievous grin came about his face. "Really? Who?" SLAP!  
  
Snap! Harry looked over to see that Wren was now standing, freed of the ropes. She brushed herself off a bit. "Thanks so much, but I think I might be much safer if I walked into the Ministry of Magic," Wren said before turning. She didn't even make it to the door before falling and, in turn, swearing loudly.  
  
"Damn it all. Why in the seven hells does this still hurt so bad?" she grumbled.  
  
"Ha. Not so tough after all, eh, Isaacs?" growled Moody.  
  
"Yeah, but I could still kill you with my bare hands, you old codger," snapped Wren. Moody's eyes flashed with anger. "Filthy mutt," he muttered. "We're trying to keep the stray animals out of the school, actually."  
  
"Good! Then you'll be pleased to hear that I'm leaving!" Wren snapped, struggling to pull herself to her feet.  
  
"Good? What good is a half-dead puppy? You'll be dropping dead any time now," Moody said gruffly.  
  
"No, because unlike the simple mortal that you are, I refuse to die before I've had my vengeance, thank you very much," snapped Wren, leaning heavily against the wall.  
  
"What are you doing? Wren, you've got to sit down! You're still really weak!" Hermione protested, hurrying to her side.  
  
"I'm fine, Hermione, thanks. I just need to lean on the wall a bit, that's all," Wren insisted.  
  
"Well, I'll at least show you to the common room. Wren, there's no way you can go off by yourself right now. You're really hurt badly," Hermione said persuasively.  
  
"Wren, if you would not mind, I would like for you to stay in the castle. Please. It is the safest place for you right now," Dumbledore said calmly.  
  
Wren looked into the old man's eyes, studying him carefully. A twinkle remained in his eyes that Wren knew was one of Dumbledore's many famed characteristics. Ever since she was a young thing Wren was able to decide what kind of a person someone was by just their eyes. Something about the old man made Wren want to trust him. But trust was a thing she was unwilling to gamble. All Wren could determine just then was that it didn't seem like they were going to try to plot against her. And, well, if they did, all Wren would have to do is flee once more. No, she definitely couldn't place trust in these people. Not yet, anyway.  
  
"Very well," she said apprehensively.  
  
Dumbledore's face cracked into a wide smile. "Excellent. Do you three think you could show Miss Isaacs up to the common room?" he said.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Well then, sleep sweetly," Dumbledore said, nodding to them.  
  
"Harry, I'll see you soon, I'm sure," Sirius said with a wink.  
  
"Right. See you soon, Sirius," Harry said before closing the door behind them.  
  
Wren was still leaning heavily against the wall as she walked, and had to go slow because of her wounds.  
  
"Er, do you want some help?" Harry asked after a while, walking slowly next to her.  
  
Wren gave a weak smile. "No thanks. I'm fine," she said as she strained to keep walking.  
  
"Moody was being a real jackass," Ron commented after a few moments' silence.  
  
"Yeah, well, so was I," Wren replied.  
  
"He really shouldn't have done that," Hermione said.  
  
"Oh well. What's done is done," Wren said with a shrug.  
  
"If it makes any difference, you were brilliant, bashing all those huge guys," Ron said, smiling as he did a quick boxing impression, which made Wren laugh. "And where did you learn to shoot an arrow like that? I reckon you saved Harry's life!"  
  
Wren blushed. "Well, I taught myself. It was the only way to get any sort of food, you know," she said as she walked weakly along.  
  
"Well, I've got to tell you, Wren, I'm glad you are really good at archery. I felt the feathers on that bow brush across my face! An inch closer and I would have had another really big scar!" Harry said, shaking his head.  
  
"It comes in handy," Wren said with another shrug. She winced, but kept moving.  
  
"You sure you don't want to stop for a while?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling very indebted to this girl. She shook her head.  
  
"No, I'm fine. I just want to take a hot bath and go to bed," Wren said, closing her eyes as though imagining this. "Mm... Hot water. There were never two better words put together."  
  
"Avis," Hermione said the password to the Fat Lady. The four walked into the common room, and Wren was able to slip into the girls' dormitory without being noticed, Hermione leading the way. Harry and Ron soon after went up to bed themselves.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Remus Lupin sat in the headmaster's office, fidgetting uncharacteristically in his chair. Dumbledore quickly noticed this. He'd of course figured out why he was acting so nervous and worried, and so did Sirius Black.  
  
"Remus?" Dumbledore said, ready to notify the others of what had happened.  
  
"What?" Remus replied quickly.  
  
"Were you ever married?"  
  
"Yes, Albus, you know I was," Remus answered, which was already a shock to everyone (except Dumbledore and Sirius, of course).  
  
"And what happened to her?" Dumbledore asked softly, adverting his eyes from the other man.  
  
"Voldemort killed her," muttered Remus.  
  
"And did you have any children?"  
  
"Yeah. A daughter," Remus said, his hands shaking slightly now.  
  
"And what happened to her?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"She died. Voldemort killed her when he killed Sophia," he answered solemnly.  
  
"What was your wife's full name?"  
  
Remus swallowed hard. When he spoke, he spoke slowly, and quietly, as though procrastinating this part. "Sophia Isaacs," he said quietly. The others just sat in shock.  
  
"Yes. Remus, was there anything intriguing about your wife?" he asked.  
  
"Well, not intriguing, really. Sophia was a werewolf too."  
  
"And what color coat did she have when she transformed, Remus?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"White," said Remus.  
  
"And just one more question, Remus, how did you choose the name for your daughter?"  
  
Remus sighed. "She was named after Sophia's mother."  
  
"Who was named after?" continued Dumbledore.  
  
Remus cleared his throat before responding. "A small black bird."  
  
"All right. So, you were married to a girl with the last name of Isaacs, who was a werewolf as well and had a silver-white coat. Together you had a daughter named after a small black bird, who you never saw again, correct?" Dumbledore said, tapping his fingers together. "So, what a coincidence it is that there is a girl with the last name Isaacs, has silver-white ears, and has the name of a small blackbird."  
  
"There's got to be thousands of people with the last name Isaacs, Albus," Remus said quickly.  
  
"Yeah Remus, but I'm pretty sure that not many people have dog ears," Sirius pointed out.  
  
Mad-Eye eyed Remus in disbelief. "You mean that flea-bitten demon-mutt is your daughter, Lupin?" he said.  
  
Remus Lupin, a very calm and rational person, turned in his seat to glare at Mad-Eye. "Why don't you just shut your mouth about my daughter, Mad-Eye? It's no business of yours if she'd rather defend herself while you verbally smash her," he snapped.  
  
Sirius grinned. "Way to go, Moony. It's been a long time since I last saw you snap."  
  
Remus's face turned a crimson color.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "So there is no doubt in your mind either that she is indeed your daughter," he said quietly.  
  
Molly's tears were finally released as she got up and flung her arms around Remus. "How could I have f-forgotten, Remus? Oh, you p-poor thing! I could k-kick myself for f-forgetting!" wailed Molly.  
  
Remus's face turned even redder as he was embraced by Molly.  
  
"How old was she when she -- er -- when you thought she died?" Tonks asked curiously, still very shocked by this new information.  
  
"Two," Remus replied, his voice slightly muffled by Molly's robes.  
  
"Two?" Tonks said in disbelief. "She was just a baby! How You-Know-Who could take care of a baby is beyond me."  
  
Molly finally released Remus to join in the conversation. She nodded. "And two is the year of  
  
potty-training," she pointed out.  
  
"And then there's teaching her how to read. I'd pay to see You-Know-Who sitting with a child and trying to get them to read!" Tonks said, a small smile spreading across her lips.  
  
"Remus, what was her first word?" Molly asked curiously.  
  
A dry smile crept across Remus's lips. "Daddy."  
  
"Oh. How darling," Molly said, smiling.  
  
"But I bet after a while she started calling You-Know-Who that," Tonks said with a nod.  
  
But Molly shook her head. "Maybe, but if it's as Wren says, he kept her in a cage, so he couldn't have spent much time with her. She probably started calling one of those horrible Death Eaters 'Daddy'. I'd die if it was that despicable worm Pettigrew," she said.  
  
"You're lucky, Remus. It looks like they got the worst years. All you have to do now if keep her out of a little trouble, and you'll probably be a grandfather soon," Tonks said breezily.  
  
Meanwhile, as the two women spoke, Remus felt like he was having his heart ripped out and stepped on numerous times. He stood up.  
  
"Albus, do you have brandy? Or whiskey? Or -- well, any alcoholic drink at all?" Remus said, feeling miserable.  
  
"Remus, you've got to teach classes tomorrow," Molly pointed out.  
  
"Oh well. So I'll have a headache, I don't care," Remus replied.  
  
Dumbledore nodded and poured the man a shot of brandy.  
  
Meanwhile, back in the girls' lavatory in Gryffindor Tower, Wren undressed. She looked at her midsection. Well, she thought, at least it's starting to heal. It should be a lot better by morning. She smiled at the awaiting water and bath bubbles. It had been such a long time since she last had a bath. A real bath, anyway. Usually, the closest thing to a bath she could get was wading into freezing lakes to bathe, or the very rare hot spring. As she slid into the water, the soap bubbles stung at her wounds, but Wren didn't care at all. She looked to her left on a small stand to her left. What's this? she wondered silently. Wren grinned ecstatically at the bottle. "Shampoo!" she said happily.  
  
After having bathed until the water was very cold, Wren quickly dressed in a pair of Hermione's borrowed pajamas. They were very big on her. She walked up to the girl's dormitory and slid into the only empty four poster. It was very comfortable. Wren flopped onto her stomach and pulled the thick comforter just up to her head. The sixteen-year-old girl could have no idea just how troubled her life was going to get in only a couple of days...  
  
So, what did you think? I hope you liked it. And - I'm sorry, but I just had to make Wren related to someone already in the books. I suppose it's a bit of a habit with me now (if you don't believe me, look at The Marauder's Daughter). Well, review, tell me what you think! J 


	4. Memories

Chapter Four: Memories

Exhausted by the night's many events, Harry fell asleep quickly. When he woke up, for a while, he even wondered if it had been a very long dream. But he quickly dismissed this when he saw that he had a bruise going around his neck from when he had been strangled by Pettigrew.

Harry quickly dressed and went down to the Great Hall, seeing that Ron had already gone. He sat down next to Ron as he always did. Hermione sat across from them, smiling as she looked at her plate.

"Why are you so cheerful, 'Mione?" Ron asked through a mouthful of hash browns.

"Oh, you'll see," Hermione said.

As if on cue, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and in walked a girl about their age. Harry didn't recognize her, but he _did_ know that she had to be the prettiest girl he'd ever laid eyes on, including Cho Chang. And apparently, it wasn't just Harry who was openly gawking at the girl. Ron was leaning forward and practically fell out of his seat. Neville actually _did_ fall out of his seat. Harry had never before now had such respect for the girls' uniforms.

The girl had long, straight black hair that touched around her knees, and she had eyes of a very soft silver. She had a very fair complexion, and a very small amount of make-up was applied, bringing out her very inviting, rose-colored lips. But after a while, Harry was not only looking at her lips, which was very typical for any other sixteen-year-old boy.

As she passed, the only thing that every male student could think of was, "Oh Merlin, please let her sit by me." But the girl was obviously getting upset by all this gawking. Of course, by now, anyone who was looking at her was no longer looking at her face, and they continued to stare.

But as she went by the Slytherin table, Malfoy stood up and blocked her casually. He began talking in a very non-Malfoyish way. The girl simply rolled her eyes and walked away to... the Gryffindor table.

She sat down next to Hermione as many of the Gryffindor boys continued to stare. But as soon as Harry heard her voice, he immediately wanted to back off.

"I can't _stand_ wearing these clothes. They're so -- flaunty," said none other than Wren. Ron quickly straightened himself, a shocked expression on his face.

"I thought so," Hermione said, smirking at her two best friends. "Anyway, Wren, how do those fit?" she asked, frowning as he noticed that they were quite loose on her.

"They're rather big on me, actually. Except around the chest. Around the front of the outfit, it's a lot tighter," Wren said. Hermione looked quite shocked. Ron was practically drooling.

"Oh," Hermione said, obviously downhearted.

"Who was that annoying blonde guy? He was saying the most _disgusting_ things to me," Wren said, who looked quite troubled by him.

"Draco Malfoy. You'll want to stay clear of him. He's the biggest horse's arse in the world," Ron replied.

"And his friends. They'll try to beat you to a bloody pulp, you know," added Harry.

Wren smiled at them. "Guys, are you talking about those two idiots? I've seen them in the halls. If they were any slower, they'd be going backward. Anyway, I'm sure I could take care of those three goons in one swing," she said. Wren looked up and saw that a good number of the boys were staring at her, eyes wide, and even some had their mouths slightly agape.

Wren rested her head on the table, and picked up a butter spreader. She handed it to Hermione. "Could you please just start sawing at the nape of my neck? It'll take a while, but I'll be dead soon," she said jokingly.

This made them all laugh. Harry tapped at her head and slid his cereal bowl in front of her. She looked at it in confusion. "If you drown yourself, it'll be faster and less painful," he joked.

"Oh yeah. Thanks, Harry. But do you think you could hold my head in the milk?" Wren laughed.

"Sure," Harry said, smiling.

"Ooh, look! Timetables!" Hermione said excitedly. McGonagall walked over and passed out their timetables.

Wren put her head up, smirking slightly. "Hi, Professor McGonagall. My you're looking lovely. That

-- erm -- bun looks really nice on you," she said quickly.

McGonagall looked over and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Lup- -- I mean, Miss Isaacs," she said before handing them their timetables then quickly walking away.

"What was with the flattery, Wren?" Ron asked, hardly able to contain his laughter.

"I'm insuring my good grade in whatever the hell she teaches. So long as I'm here, I'm not going to look like a total idiot," Wren said quietly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You of all people must know millions of things, considering -- well -- considering what happened to you," Hermione said, her face suddenly turning a bright crimson.

"Oh yeah. The Voldemort thing. Oh well," Wren said quietly. "If you can believe it, I'm not really all that doltish when it comes to learning magic."

"I guess not," Hermione said, who looked almost a little jealous.

Meanwhile...

Up at the professors' table, Remus watched his long-lost daughter sitting with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She was so very pretty. It wasn't long for Remus to decide that Wren looked almost exactly like her mother -- minus the dog ears. But they were hidden in her very long back hair right now, even though Remus wanted to see them because, truth be told, he was absolutely fascinated and infatuated with those ears of hers. He had been since the day she was born. Of course, those imbecile pediatricians said that they had to be a deformity, but really, what did they know? _They_ had suggested that they be cut off. Even his darling Sophia thought that was the wisest decision so she wouldn't later be taunted about them, but Remus would not have it. To him, those ears of Wren Taylor Lupin's made her even cuter.

But now they were hidden. If they weren't, Wren would undoubtedly die. And it was all because of that despicable man Fudge, sitting next to Dumbledore, along with that Umbridge woman. And because of them, Remus's daughter was considered a fugitive. Had he known that this was her fate, Remus would have gladly agreed to having that horrible operation done. It killed him to watch as his little girl had to deal with this all on her own.

But Remus was niether stupid, nor naïve. He saw how all of those boys had stared at her openly when she passed. Wren _was_ growing up, after all. But Remus didn't like it. No. He did not like it at all. Had he really missed all of those years with his daughter? Had it really been that long? It seemed much, much longer than that, truth be told. And the other professors were now giving him piteous looks. Everyone that had known Sophia and Wren (as a little girl, obviously) had acted as though Remus had forgotten. How could he? He still possessed a few of Wren's baby things in fact, though he never looked in the box in which he kept them. Remus had been mentally arguing with himself for years about getting rid of them. But he never did manage to discard the items. Yes. Everyone thought that until now, Remus had forgotten. Everyone...except for Sirius.

Sirius, who he had been best friends with for around thirty years. Sirius, who even now did not like to mention his best friend's dead wife or daughter. Yet, somehow, Remus was certain that Sirius knew that he had not forgotten. Forgetting. That was the hardest part of anything. Remus wanted to forget, but then again...if he released any memories he had of Sophia, it would be like letting a little bit of her go. _No,_ Remus decided. _I don't have to forget. I just have to make sure nothing happens to Wren. My daughter. _The words sounded strange even in his own head.

Remus shuddered as Tonks's words came back to him: _"...you'll be a grandfather soon." _Remus wondered what he'd done to deserve this. To miss so many years of his own daughter's life was like torture. He told himself that he wouldn't tell her today. No. Not until he knew more about her. That was precisely why he'd asked many of the other professors to do him a favor by telling him what they'd figured out about her by the end of the day.

"We'd better get to our first class, you guys. We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts first," Ron said, reading off from his timetable.

"That's the best class. At least, it is when Lupin's teaching it, and he is this year. He's really good at it," said Harry.

"Oh. Well that's good," Wren replied. She stood up and stretched her legs before the other three got up as well and started off to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The four got to the classroom before anyone else, except for Lupin, of course. He turned when he heard footsteps, and froze when he saw who it was. For some reason, he panicked at the sight of his daughter.

He spun around quite fast, in turn knocking down one of his many old records. It shattered on the floor as Lupin looked up.

"Oh. Hello," Lupin said quickly.

"Sorry, Professor Lupin. We didn't mean to startle you," Wren said with a brief smile.

"Oh. Not a problem," Lupin said quickly. "You four are here quite early."

"It was accidental," Ron said, yawning widely.

Wren looked around the classroom. She ran a long fingernail/claw down what looked to be a jewel that was smoking from the inside. "You have a very interesting collection of items, Professor Lupin," she said, obviously captivated by the jewel.

"Thank you, Wren, but actually, that was just a trinket I picked up in some shop ages ago," Lupin said with a small smile.

Wren blushed. "Oh," she said, feeling very idiotic.

Lupin smiled at how very like her mother she was. Only when he realized that he must look rather stupid, standing there with an unexplained smile, did he turn and start shuffling pieces of parchment, for the simple reason that he could not stop his smiling.

The class soon filled up as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Wren took their seats -- right next to each other. Lupin turned around only when he had thought of enough very sad things in order to keep a straight face.

"Good morning, class. I think I'm just going to skip roll today. All the seats are occupied, so I find no need for that. Now, today we're just going to review a bit from last year..."

The four were relieved when classes ended that day, as all of the professors were trying to impress the essentialness of staying on track. Every class they'd had that day, they'd been lectured about how important it was to "keep your heads out of the clouds" and to "not wander away from your studies." Harry was very thankful when he came out of Binn's class, the last class of the day.

"That ghost really brought down my morale," Wren said, stretching widely.

"Binns just drones on and on and on and on and on and --"

"That's enough, Ron. I think she gets the point," Hermione said, looking sternly at him.

Harry laughed at this while Ron's ears turned pink. They entered the Great Hall for dinner and sat down at the Gryffindor table, most male students still gawking at Wren, who was staring blankly down at her plate, her face scarlet.

Fudge leaned over to Dumbledore. "Who's that girl sitting with Potter and his little friends? I haven't seen her here before," he said quietly.

"Oh, you mean Wren, Cornelius? I'm surprised you haven't. Wren has been coming to Hogwarts since she was eleven. She's been friends with Harry for a long time," Dumbledore said seriously.

"Really?" Fudge asked thickly.

"Of course, Cornelius. Wren's been here all along," Dumbledore replied.

"That name sounds familiar," Fudge said, looking deep in thought.

"Oh, I bet it does. It was quite popular for a while," Dumbledore said quickly.

"No, that's not it..." Fudge saw something small, white, and furry appear from under the girl's hair. He then realized it was a dog ear. "I KNEW IT!" Fudge exploded, jumping to his feet as everyone watched curiously, each thinking the same thing: 'Fudge had finally flipped his lid.'

"I _knew_ you were hiding that mutt-demon here! You've gone far enough, Dumbledore!" Fudge roared, starting toward the Gryffindor table, Umbridge to his left. Both had their wands out.

"You are hearby arrested for the many murders of Muggles and Wizards within the past five years," Fudge said loudly to Wren.

"What?" She looked horrified. A hand traveled up to her ear, and her jaw dropped. "I didn't - I would never... I punched a few Death Eaters, but that's it! I swear!"

But Fudge continued. "In cases like these, the beast, being you, will have a trial, though that seems unnecessary, and you will undoubtedly be slaughtered," Fudge said, looking like Christmas had come early.

"I'd never..._ever_ take a life that didn't desperately deserve it," Wren said, her face very pale.

Fudge smirked. "You're protesting arrest? All right then. This way will just be a little more fun," he said, pointing his wand at her. He began a spell under his breath, but Fudge's aim wasn't exactly good, so his wand was pointed just to the left of Wren -- at Ron.

But apparently, Fudge thought he was still pointing his wand at Wren. She knocked Ron to the ground, falling atop his chest as a flash of green light passed them both. Ron blinked in disbelief.

In an instant, Wren was at her feet again, ready to flee. Fudge sent another spell at her, but she easily avoided this by taking an incredible leap forward. When she landed, she took another great leap and continued to do so as she sped toward the door to the Great Hall. But in mid-jump, Fudge hit her with a Protego spell, making her fall to the ground with a nasty crack. Before they could catch up, however, Wren stumbled to her feet and hurried on, not attempting the jumps any more.

"Cornelius!" Dumbledore was at his feet, looking enraged. It was all Lupin could do to sit there, clenching his fists and mentally cursing Fudge.

Fudge stopped and let out a heavy sigh. "_What_, Dumbledore?" he snapped, turning around.

"I cannot allow you to go after one of the students," Dumbledore replied, his voice icy. His eyes matched his tone.

"Dumbledore, while you're chatting, that _beast_ is getting away!"

Lupin jumped to his feet, pushed over the edge. "She is _NOT_ a beast, you cretin!"

"Cornelius, she may be different, but she _is_ a student here. While I am headmaster here, I cannot and will not let you try to destroy this girl's life," Dumbledore said, warning flashing in his eyes.

"And you believe you have more power than I, Dumbledore? Ha! You really are losing your wits," was Fudge's response before walking out of the Great Hall.

Everyone was too shocked to even whisper about what had just happened.

Later...

The Order of the Phoenix was again assembled in Dumbledore's office.

"You have not yet told Wren, Remus?" Dumbledore asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No, Dumbledore. I didn't think it'd be very wise," said Remus.

"Why not? The poor dear deserves to know that at least her father's still alive," Molly said, looking at Remus as though he were crazy.

"Molly, I haven't told her yet because...because I'd like to at least know a little bit about my daughter, all right?" Remus quickly lied. A good cover, he decided. Besides, it's not that he _didn't_ want to tell Wren. He was still trying to decide how to tell her. Anyway, Remus did want to know something about Wren before he told her the truth of her family. "Which is why I've asked all of her professors to try to find something about Wren," he added hastily.

"Speaking of which," Severus said, digging in a pocket of his robes. "I still can't see why I agreed to this," he muttered under his breath. "That _puppy_ couldn't stop drawing," he said scathingly, shoving a piece of parchment at Remus.

Remus was about to say something very witty to Severus to defend his daughter, but looked at the drawing and stopped. Sirius leaned over. "Whoa. That's really good." The drawing was of a wolf. A very detailed wolf. It stood behind a willow, its eyes yellow and gleaming.

"This is really realistic," Remus said, admiring the piece. He looked up. "There wasn't anything else, was there?"

Minerva, Flitwick, Sprout, and Trelawny all handed him other drawings, all very detailed and well done.

"Well, you know one thing, mate. Wren's at a level just above stick-people," Sirius said sarcastically, clapping Remus on the shoulder.

Remus sighed. "Any clue as to where she is?"

Molly patted his hand reassuringly. "Remus, dear, she can't have gotten far. And even if she has, she's got enough sense to come back," she said.

"Yeah, and she has to have enough sense to do that. I mean, genetics don't lie, mate," Sirius said, smirking at him. "And together, you and Sophia aren't exactly half-wits."

Remus knew exactly what Sirius was was talking about. Back at school, Sophia had always gotten the highest grades along with Lily. Sophia and Lily had been inseperable at school, and it continued that way until Lily's death. Remus could still remember the day that he'd met Sophia...

_It was September the first, and the Marauders were all sitting in a compartment together. They were entering their sixth year at Hogwarts. _

_James and Sirius were playing poker against their loathed enemies -- Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. Peter was watching at the side, tongue between his teeth. Remus sat in a corner of the compartment, reading a book about vampires and occasionally sneaking a glance at the game. _

_James laughed. "Peter, stop looking at the cards like you can eat them. You just had five of those pastries when the trolley came round," he said. _

_"I didn't have breakfast," whined Peter, as though this were an excuse to devour five of those pastries. _

_"Get back to the game, James. Hey, what d'you reckon we make this a little more interesting, eh, Sevvi-poo?" Sirius said with an evil grin. _

_"What do you mean, Black?" Lucius snapped at him. _

_"The winner gets your compartment. The loser gets this compartment," James suggested, a smirk spreading across his lips. _

_Lucius's and Severus's faces paled slightly. _

_"What's so great about their compartment?" Remus's interest got the better of him. _

_James and Sirius both grinned at him. "It's next to a bunch of really cute girls' compartment," James said happily. _

_"Yeah, and James's looooovvver is there too," Sirius said, making sure he put extra emphasis on 'lover'. "You know, Remus. That Lily girl." _

_"EVANS?! No way! How can I like a girl who's threatened to castrate me?" James demanded, his cheeks turning slightly red. _

_"Ahh, but Ickle Jamesie's cheeks are turning a trifle red," teased Sirius, pinching one of his cheeks. James batted his hand away. _

_"What d'you say, boys?" Sirius's attention turned back to the two Slytherins. _

_Lucius and Severus looked at each other, then back at the two challenging Gryffindors. "All right," they both said at the same time. _

_Ten minutes later, the Marauders were lugging their things down the narrow corridor to the losers' compartment. After having put away their trunks, they went to investigate the girls' compartment. Well, three of them did. Peter went off to find the sweets trolley. _

_Sirius opened the door to the compartment and leaned against the wall, smiling at he looked at the five girls that sat in the compartmnet. Three of them were very thin blondes, sitting at the same side, giggling and applying make-up. They were all very pretty._

_But Sirius then looked to the other side, where a red-headed Lily Evans sat, flipping through a copy of some girly magazine. Next to her, a girl with black hair had her face buried in a book. _

_"Hey there, girls," Sirius said. The three blondes looked up and their faces turned pink and they began giggling harder. _

_"Ooooh!" _

_"Like, oh my gawd, it's --" _

_"Yah, I totally know who he is, Mary!" _

_"Like, what do you think, Sue?" A/N: Haw haw! Mary and Sue! _

_"Total stud," replied the blondest and the one with the most make-up on, smiling seductively at Sirius. It seemed like her skirt was six inches shorter than the other girls'. Sirius smiled weakly back. He hadn't yet met this girl, but he was sure that he liked her already._

_"Hi," Sirius said weakly._

_"Slut," was spat from Lily's direction. _

_The chick -- Sue, was it? -- turned back around and looked at Lily. "What?" she snapped. _

_The black-haired girl sat the book in her lap, and Remus noticed that this girl was extremely beautiful. She put her hands in her lap and blinked at the blonde. "I believe Lily just called you a slut. Am I right, Lils?" _

_Lily nodded at her. "Precisely." _

_"Uh! I don't need to like - take this from you two - like - FREAKS!" shouted the leading blonde. _

_Lily and her friend sat and made their eyes water up. "Sniffle. Sniffle. Oh -- sob. Wait a second. I forgot. I don't care. You, Sophia?" Lily said, and both their faces turned back to highly unamused. _

_"I don't think I could care less." _

_The three blondes walked over, and Lily and Sophia stood up as well, glaring right back at the three. _

_"You'll regret saying that," snapped Sue, poking Sophia roughly in the collar bone. _

_James sat down where the three blondes had just been sitting. "I'm glad we won," he said in a whisper. _

_Sophia took out her wand and pointed it at Sue. "Here's a hint. Don't ever point your finger at me, okay?" _

_The blonde looked at Sophia's wand. "You can't use magic unless we're at Hogwarts. You'll be expelled." _

_Sophia smirked. "I don't need magic to stick this up your arse," she said, nodding at her wand. _

_Remus could hardly keep from laughing. _

_"I...You...I..." stammered Sue. _

_"Oh, I'm sorry, we didn't know you had a speech impediment," Lily said, smirking. _

_"It's more common in people who have more boobs than brains," Sophia said with a laugh. _

_With a huff, the three girls left the compartment. Sirius and Remus sat down on opposite sides of James. _

_"So..." Remus started. "Your name is Sophia?" _

_Five years later... _

_"Easy, pet. Deep breaths, Sophia, darling, deap breaths," Remus soothed his wife, holding her hand as she huffed and puffed. Lily Potter dabbed at Sophia's forehead with a damp cloth, watching her piteously. She'd been in this same position only about six weeks ago. _

_"Remus Lupin, if you EVER think of impregnating me EVER again, you're DEAD!" roared Sophia Lupin. _

_"Yes, dear, so long as you breathe," Remus said gently. _

_Damn that man. Damn his gentle tone. Damn that gorgeous smile. That was what had gotten her here in the first place. It had been twenty-one hours since she checked into St. Mungo's, ready to have her baby. She'd been pushing for three hours. It just wasn't fair! About a month and a half ago, Lily had had her baby, Harry, and she'd had a Hollywood labor! Three hours of contractions, half an hour of pushing, and out that baby had come! _

_Sophia just didn't understand it. According to the medi-wizard, the baby inside of her wasn't even big! Harry had been eight-and-a-half pounds at birth. Sophia now decided that had to be impossible. _

_The medi-wizard poised between Sophia's legs looked up. "All right, Mrs. Lupin. The baby is right there. I need you to take a deep breath and push, okay?" he said. Sophia nodded weakly. _

_Having decided that she would personally castrate her husband later, Sophia pushed with all of her might while her husband, her best friend, the medi-wizard, and a nurse coached her to push. It was all very confusing. One was saying harder, one was saying that she was doing fine, and another was repeating the word 'push' over and over again. _

_"SHUT UP!" Sophia finally roared. Silence. Oh, blessed silence. Her usually-quiet personality had been replaced by another one, one triggered by pain and anger. _

_Only the medi-wizard dared to speak. "All right, Mrs. Lupin. The baby's head is out. You just need to give a really big push on the next contraction and the shoulders will come out. The rest of the baby will slip right out after that," he said. _

_Sophia nodded and braced herself for what lay next. She gathered up all of her remaining strength and pushed as hard as she could. Sophia didn't think it was possible, but it hurt worse, which is when she realized that the shoulders of a person are much wider than the head. _

_Sophia let out a scream in agony as the baby's body slipped out of her own. She collapsed against the bed, exhausted. _

_"It's a girl!" Lily exclaimed happily, grinning widely at the baby as a nurse brought her over to a scale. _

_Sophia smiled weakly up at Remus, whose face showed nothing but shock. Finally, after this had registered in Remus's mind, he looked down at his beloved Sophia. _

_"A girl," Remus said weakly as his smile broadened. "My daughter." _

_"What does she look like, Remus? I didn't see her! Is she beautiful?" Sophia said hurriedly. _

_"She's beautiful, Soph. She looks just like you. But tinier," Remus said, before kissing her lightly. _

_"Five pounds, three ounces!" one of the nurses declared the baby's weight. She scooped the baby up in the cloth again before bringing her to the end of the bed. _

_"Mr. Lupin, I believe this is your honor," said the medi-wizard, nodding to a pair of sterile scissors in his hand. _

_Remus kissed Sophia one more time before he moved over to the end of the bed. He snipped the baby's umbilical cord, smiling uncontrollably. _

_He was given the baby and brought her over to her mother. Sophia struggled to pull herself up, hardly having any strength left. "Lemme see her, Remus," she pleaded weakly. Remus sat down on the edge of the bed and handed the small bonneted baby to his wife. Sophia's eyes watered as she kissed her daughter's cheek. She had silver eyes just like her mother. Now to see what color hair she has. Sophia peeked beneath the bonnet to see a mess of black hair -- her black hair. Sophia ran a finger over the baby's hair, and found something very odd. She pulled off the baby's bonnet, and saw nothing but a mess of black. She must have imagined it. _

_Sophia ran two fingers over the baby's head again, but felt the difference once more. Curious, Sophia moved the baby's hair about so she could see her scalp. Then she saw it. Flattened against her head was something silvery-white. Sophia ran a finger over it and looked at the baby's reaction. She didn't seem to mind at all, only snuggling closer to her mother. Sophia painfully pulled herself into a nearly sitting position, looking at the baby's head. _

_Remus persuaded the new mother to lay back down. She continued to investigate the baby's head as the medi-wizard cleaned Sophia up. _

_"Just curious," the medi-wizard said once he had finished and walked over to Sophia's side, "but what exactly is so interesting about the top of this beautiful baby's head?" he asked, leaning over her. _

_"I'm not sure. There's something white and silvery at the top of her head. I'm not sure what it is." Sophia's finger again lightly rubbed the tip of the odd thing atop her daughter's skull. But this time, it twitched, and it (and the same thing but on the baby's left side) rose up. They looked almost like... _

_"Dog ears," Sophia said, her mind coming to a blank. At last, one thought rose to her mind: How on earth could this baby have gotten such an abnormality? _

_The medi-wizard took the baby from her mother, which got him an angry wail from the girl. He was just as surprised as the new mother. He flipped back some of the baby's hair by one of her ears to find that there was no ear. This was more than a shock. The skin had not even a tiny blemish of where an ear would be. _

_"Dog ears?" The medi-wizard said this quietly, in shock. _

_"My wife and I are both werewolves," Remus said. Surely this had to be the reason for the cute little dog ears perched on top of the baby's head. _

_"Oh," the medi-wizard said. _

_"She's healthy otherwise, right?" Sophia asked, her voice choked. _

_"Yes. She scored a nine on the Apgar scale. She didn't cry very much, so we took off one point. But she's perfectly fine, medically," the medi-wizard said, handing the baby to her father. _

_"Thank God. They're kind of cute, actually," Remus said, smiling as he stroked one of the baby's ears. _

_"They should be removed," said the medi-wizard. _

_Remus turned, hugging his baby close. He knew he was being quite irrational, but he would not have it. "No. You won't be removing anything on my baby," he said sternly. _

_"Remus, I know they're cute, but think of the life she'll have to lead. When she goes to Hogwarts, what will the other children say?" Sophia said, dabbing at her eye. _

_"Sophia, dear, this is the Wizarding world. It would be a lot harder if we lived in the Muggle world, but we don't, love. Besides, if they were removed, do you honestly think, sir, that nobody would notice the lacking of ears? She'd be deaf! And personally, I'd rather have my daughter laughed at than deaf," Remus protested. _

_"You have a good point, Remus. Besides, they just make her a little cuter. No, I don't think we'll have them removed," Sophia said, nodding her head. _

_"Very well. Shall I let your visitors in?" the medi-wizard said. _

_"Yes, please." _

It all seemed like just yesterday to Remus. "She'll probably feel betrayed," he said, another thought occurring to him. "Like we betrayed her. Bringing Fudge here and everything."

"We had no power against it. What were we supposed to do, tell Fudge not to come?" Mad-Eye said gruffly.

"She was almost killed, I hope you know, Mad-Eye," Remus said coldly.

"I know that, Remus. It doesn't mean that the girl will immediately think that we betrayed her," Mad-Eye replied coolly.

"Sorry. I guess I'm a bit edgy, that's all," Remus said, his face turning red slightly.

"I'm sure that's fine, Remus. Maybe you should go back to your quarters and get some rest. You look exhausted," Dumbledore suggested with a smile.

"Right. Thanks, Albus, you're right," Remus said, getting to his feet. He walked back to his quarters, deep in thought. He made himself a hot cup of tea and sat down on the couch, reading one of his favorite books on vampires.

But his mind couldn't keep on the book. It kept wandering back to his daughter, wondering if she was all right.

Eventually, sleep took over Remus Lupin, and he fell asleep right there on the couch, book in lap.

Suddenly, Remus was awoken by a noise. It took him a few seconds to realize that there was a soft tapping at his door. With a stretch and a yawn, Remus got up and opened the door cautiously. He was very surprised when someone fell into his arms, sobbing. He looked at his watch, which read three

thirty-one.

"Wren?" Remus managed weakly, pinching his arm to make sure he wasn't still asleep.

"P-P-Professor Lupin, th-thank the g-gods you a-a-answered!" wailed Wren. She was trembling, and Remus new that she was very frightened.

Remus lightly patted her back and returned the embrace, hoping this would calm her down at least a little bit. "Ssh. There, there. You're fine, just relax," he said gently. "Come on. I'll get you a nice hot cup of tea. Or better yet. Hot chocolate. You do drink it, don't you?" he added, leading her into the small kitchen. She nodded, her lower lip trembling. Remus sat her down at the table, and in that light, Remus realized that Wren's face was very scratched up, and so were her arms. He thought about this as he went to work on making a cup of very strong tea and hot chocolate.

"Oh, P-Professor, I'm so s-s-sorry. I t-tried getting into the c-common r-room, but the F-Fat Lady o-o-only started shrieking that I -- that I w-was a mutt-demon, and sh-she wouldn't let me in. S-so I tried t-to find D-Dumbledore's office, on my s-sense of smell, y-you know. B-but I was just s-so distraught that I c-couldn't f-find it. S-so then I decided to find someone e-else, and I knew you w-were the only one I could s-surely trust, so I came here," Wren stammered, though the stuttering lessened as she spoke.

This thought struck Remus for a moment, before he came back to his senses. "But -- surely that's not the reason you're so upset?" he asked, sitting down next to the terrified girl, handing her a mug of hot chocolate while he added a bit of sugar to his tea.

Wren took a few swallows of the hot chocolate. When she spoke, the stammering was gone, but she was still trembling and her voice was still weak. "I ran into the forest when Fudge went after me. I went very far into the forest. I think I might have even gotten off of Hogwarts property. But that's not important. I was asleep in a tree when I heard rustling of branches below me. I...I mean to say, it was one of -- one of _them_," she said the word with only utter hatrid, and Remus knew at once that she was talking about a Death Eater. "There were at least a dozen others on the ground, and with Voldemort right beneath them. I...I didn't have much time to react before he Accioed me down. It was horrible, sir. He was just standing over me...grinning. He sent a killing curse at me, but I rolled over to avoid it. The Death Eaters chased me for a while when I ran, throwing curses at me. I ran all the way back here..."

Remus's eyes widened. "Wren, are you okay? Those look painful. Oh, right. Magical remedies can't be used on you. No matter. I can get some antiseptic and bandages from the cupboard," he said gently.

Wren looked up at her professor. "Professor, I'm really, really scared. He wants me dead now. And he's not going to stop looking for me until I'm dead. I know it," she said weakly.

Remus smiled at her before putting his hand over hers. "But they stopped chasing you at the barrier where Hogwarts grounds start. Voldemort doesn't want to risk coming to Hogwarts. You're safe at Hogwarts. Since you don't know the password to Gryffindor Tower, you can stay here for the night if you'd like, Wren," he said gently.

Wren smiled, but Remus could feel her trembling hand beneath his. "Thank you so much, Professor. I'm really sorry about the inconvenience," she said quickly.

"Not at all. The couch is a pull-out. I have a few extra quilts and such. We can set that up after our drinks," Remus said.

"Thank you, Professor Lupin. I really don't know how to repay you."

"Think nothing of it. Wren, the bathroom is just down the hall and to your right. In the cabinet there are bandages and such. I'll go set up the couch and be with you in a moment," Remus said, getting up. Wren nodded before walking into the bathroom.

It was only a matter of seconds that Remus set up the pull-out bed. At least it was with magic. He tapped softly on the bathroom door, which swung open. Wren had bandaged only the deepest cuts on her arms.

Remus's curiosity got the better of him. "How did you get those?"

"The small scratches are from the branches when I was running, sir. The bandaged ones came from Voldemort," Wren said in a small voice.

"Oh. I was just curious," Remus said, looking at a few of her wounds. "Erm, the couch is all set up for you, Wren. There are extra blankets beneath the couch. Make yourself right at home, all right?" "Thank you, Professor. I'm very grateful," Wren said, following the werewolf back into the sitting room.

"Just get some rest. You look dead on your feet," Remus said as Wren took off her shoes. "Erm, I've got a couple of night-shirts that are quite big on me. One might work as a night-gown for you, if you'd like," he added.

Wren smiled. "No thank you, Professor. I'll just sleep in my clothes," she said. She covered her mouth in a yawn.

"Suit yourself, Wren. Pleasant dreams," Remus said as Wren buried herself underneath the large quilt.

"'Night, Professor," Wren said, shifting about for a while. Remus sat in a chair, "reading" once more. The shifting soon stopped, and Remus could hear her rhythmic breathing.

He sighed. "You probably won't believe this, Wren, but I'm your father," he said under his breath.

Remus was very shocked at what happened next. "I know. I was just waiting to find more about you before I said anything. I'm glad." Wren had said this, her voice hardly above a whisper. Right after, Remus heard her soft, rhythmic breathing again, and knew she had said this in her sleep. Remus smiled, got up, and walked over to where Wren slept. He kissed the top of her head. "Good night, sweetheart," he said in a whisper before turning off the light and heading for bed.

End de la chapter! This was a LONG one! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Review, people, please! Reviews are getting a little thin over at my end of the pond! Go, Squishies, go! By the way, thanks

Kyo-grli91. First (and so far only pout) reviewer!


	5. The Good, The Bad, and Malfoy

Chapter Five: The Good, The Bad, and Malfoy  
  
Remus thought that because of the night's events, he would not be able to sleep a wink. As his head hit his pillow, he fell asleep with these thoughts. He woke early the next morning to find thet couch set back up again, and a note on the kitchen table. He sat down with a cup of tea to read it:

Dad,  
Thanks so much for allowing me to stay the night in your quarters. It was more than needed. I really appreciate what you did for me, and I do intend to repay you. This whole situation will most likely be beyond awkward, but I would much rather this be awkward for years and years of our lives than to never meet my father. I suppose I'm getting a bit sappy, now -- Remus couldn't help but smile at this -- but what do you expect from a writer? I hope you enjoy the tea I made. It's not much, but it's a start, I suppose. By the way, I am sorry, but I had to take back a couple of my sketches. I leave you with the one of the lone wolf, as it contains so much meaning. At least - it does for me. Deeply indebted,  
Wren.  
  
Remus smiled and pocketed the note. He hurried down to breakfast, hoping to brag to some of the professors -- or to anyone that would listen, really.  
  
"You see that, Sirius? She's an artist and a writer," Remus said in a low voice to the bear-like dog laying on the floor next to him. "All you've got is that old house of your mother's," Remus teased. Sirius gave a low growl, but he had a gleam in his eyes as if to say "All I have to do is pull, and you'll be standing pantless." Remus noticed Hagrid sitting down at the professors' table. He stood up. "Hagrid! Hey, Hagrid, look at this!" Remus shuffled over a couple of seats to where Hagrid sat. "Wren is back, you know," he said, sitting down next to him. "Is she? Tha's good. When'd she get here?" Hagrid said, yawning widely. Remus's face lit up. He could tell this story over and over. "At around three-thirty in the morning, Hagrid. She came to my quarters because she couldn't get into the common room. And you know what? She knew that I was her dad! She just wanted to know if I knew and what I was like! Isn't that amazing, Hagrid? She did the exact same thing I was doing!" he said happily. Hagrid yawned again. "Wow, Remus, that is amazin'." He paused again to yawn. "And you know what else? When she first got here, I bet that whole thing was just an act, to make sure she could trust us. And I think she did because she dropped the act right away, didn't she?" Remus rambled on. "Fascinatin'," Hagrid mumbled as he poured himself a cup of tea. A few seats down, Remus heard the headmaster's laughing. Dumbledore was peering at Remus out of the corner of his eye and was laughing. Remus looked at him and smiled slightly. "Are you laughing at me, Headmaster?" he asked. "No, no, not at all," Dumbledore said, trying to keep himself from laughing. "You probably think I'm a loon, don't you?" Remus asked. "Well, if Professor Dumbledore doesn't, then I do," Hagrid said, smirking slightly.  
Remus glared.  
  
"Wren, you look terrible. Didn't you get any sleep yesterday?" Hermione asked, playing with one of Wren's dog ears, which she hadn't even tried to hide beneath her hair. "I fell asleep around three-thirty then got up at around six," Wren said, yawning widely. "Ooh, Wren, your ears are so soft. You know, this really is amazing. The fact that you have dog ears and you can actually hear out of them. I wonder what kind of spell You-Know-Who used. I just can't think of any," Hermione said, all the while rubbing one of Wren's ears in contemplation. "Er -- yeah. I've been wondering about that too, Hermione." She didn't want to lie to them, but she just didn't think that this was a very good time to tell her new friends about her parentage. "You mean you don't remember? Did he do this to you a long time ago?" Hermione asked curiously. "Yes. I think it was when I was just a baby," Wren lied. Hermione looked at her piteously. "That must have hurt you terribly when it happened," she said, releasing her ears. Harry then noticed that Ron had his head on the table. "What's wrong with you, Ron?" "Died," mumbled Ron as he forced his head up. "You look really bad, Ron," Hermione said, a concerned look on her face. "Thanks, Hermione, that's just what I needed," shot Ron. "No. He's not ill. He's just grumpy," Wren said. "I feel bloody awful," Ron griped, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "Well, now, that is very convenient, Ron, because you're sick, I'm tired beyond belief, and I happen to know an awful lot about remedies. I got permission from Dumbledore to spent the day sleeping, but I can spend a few hours of my well-deserved beauty sleep tending to you. I'd feel bad if I didn't help," Wren said, making Ron's ears turn slightly red. "You don't -- you don't have to do that, Wren. Besides, you look dead on your feet," Ron said. "Correction, Ron. I'm dead on my arse. I don't mind. After breakfast go back up to your dorm. I'll mix some remedies and you'll be on your feet again. Or you could go to Madam Pomfrey and spend five minutes there before returning to your Potions class," Wren said, smiling slightly. "See you after breakfast, then," Ron said with a nod. "Erm…Ron, you kind of look like you're going to -- well -- spew. Maybe you should just go back to your dorm right now. Everyone looks a little worried about their food," Wren suggested. Ron looked longingly at his plate. "Don't worry. I'll bring you up food when I come up, all right?" Wren said, looking piteously at him. Ron stood up and gave a weak smile. "Thanks, Wren. I owe you one. Oh yeah. And you can be my girlfriend at any time now," he said, smirking. Wren stuck her tongue out at him as he walked away. "That was oddly nice of you, Wren. I wouldn't if I were you, though," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. "Ron's always rather ornery when he's ill." "And you wanted to be a Healer, Hermione, pet?" Harry laughed, pecking her on the cheek. Hermione playfully shoved him. "No. I was considering that for a very short time, Harry, but I've decided that I want to be an Auror," she said decisively. "Oh, an Auror. That sounds so interesting. I mean, the kicking arse part would be cool," Wren said with a smile. "That's the only job I've considered," Harry added with a nod. Just then, the post came. Surprisingly, a flock of owls dropped many red letters in front of Wren. Several different shrieks erupted at once, while others followed. "FILTHY HALFBREED!" "YOU SHOULD BE PUT DOWN, YOU MONGREL!" "YOU CAN'T HIDE BEHIND DUMBLEDORE FOREVER, MANGY STRAY!" "GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM, DEMON!" were some of the choice words in the Howlers. Wren yelped and clasped her hands to her very sensitive ears. For five minutes straight, booming insults rang through the Great Hall before bursting into flames. "Right. Well, I'd better go back up to Gryffindor Tower. Oh, a letter for Ron. I'll bring it to him. Are you sure Dumbledore got things straightened out with the Fat Lady? I don't want her screaming again," Wren said weakly. "He told her that you weren't a demon and that you were a Gryffindor now, so I guess so," Hermione said, obviously still in shock. "Thanks, Hermione," Wren said after she'd piled food onto a plate. "Do you think he'll eat all of this?" "Well, Ron eats a lot, but he's sick, so…bring a couple more pancakes," Harry said. Wren did so and soon after left the Great Hall, yawning. She persuaded the Fat Lady into letting her inside, and climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Wren knocked on the door before entering. She sat on the bed next to Ron's. He had obviously gotten worse. He was perspiring and his face was flushed. Wren frowned. "Poor you. Here. Try to eat," she said, setting the plate on a bed tray before setting it over his lap. Ron struggled to sit up. "Thanks," he said hoarsely. "No problem. I'm going to go get a cold cloth for your forehead and some herbs," Wren said, looking at her friend piteously. She started back down the stairs, then up to the girls' dormitory. She took a washcloth from the bathroom and took up a shallow basin. Wren then began digging around underneath her four poster, where she found a bag contained many different herbs and such. After hurriedly changing back into one of her favored red kimonos and getting more assorted items, Wren returned to the boys' dormitory. Ron looked awful. His face was flushed and he was sweating like mad. This was no ordinary illness, Wren decided. Wren sat next to him. She gave a small smile. Ron looked up at the cloth and the basin. "Just relax, Ron. It's only to cool you down a bit," she said, and began dabbing the wet cloth on his forehead and neck. "Thanks," Ron said raspily. "Oh yes. Here," Wren said, conjuring a glass of water from thin air. Ron sat up and Wren handed it to him. He gulped it down, and was very pleased to find that it had refilled instantly. When Ron's stomach was full of water, he set the glass on the bedside table. He leaned back against his pillow again. Ron was miserable. He'd never before felt so horrible.  
Wren smiled cheerfully at Ron. He was getting very weak, and she could tell. "You're probably really hot from the fever. You might be more comfortable if you take off your shirt," Wren said, dabbing lightly at his face with the cloth. Ron's ears turned red, but he nodded, and struggled to get his shirt off. He tossed it aside. Ron was exhausted even from that. But that didn't matter. At least he wasn't so damn hot. Never in his life had he remembered getting this sick before. "How exactly am I supposed to repay you for this?" Ron said, a weak smile spreading across his lips. "Oh, I'll find a way. You can count on that," Wren said, mixing herbs and chopping up different roots. "What is that stuff?" Ron asked. "Nothing. It'll make you better. But I'm afraid it'll take a few hours for me to finish it. It'll work right away, though. But I'm pretty sure that if you play your cards right, I can get you the rest of the day off," she said with a nod. "I'd kiss you if I knew you wouldn't punch me," Ron teased. "Oh yeah. I forgot. Mortal men aren't your style, are we?" Wren flushed. "Shut up, Ron. That was just a cover. Just in case I couldn't trust you people," she said, adding some murky liquid to the concoction. "Yeah, I know. Just teasing," Ron replied with a nod. "Oh yes. I forgot. Here. You got a letter," Wren handed the letter to Ron, who opened it quickly. His eyes suddenly grew round as marbles. "What is it?" she asked curiously. "I can't believe it," Ron said hoarsely. "I can't believe it." Wren smiled. "Well, don't keep me in the dark, Ron, tell me! I'm sitting on the edge of my seat!" Ron looked up at her. "Angelina, the old captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team said that she wants me to be the captain." "Yay! Congratulations, Ron," Wren said, smiling at her friend. "I don't believe it. Why would she choose me? I've only been on the team for a year!" Ron said, in shock. "Why not Harry? He's been on the team the longest. Holy crap, I've got to pick out people to play." "Ron, relax. I'm sure there's a very good reason why Angelina picked you," Wren said as she continued with the herbs. "Yeah. She's gone insane," Ron said, putting the letter on the bedside stand. "Shut up. I'm sure you're good at Quidditch," Wren said. "Yeah. From the ground," Ron moaned as he rolled onto his front and stuffed his face into his pillow. "You play the position of a Keeper, right, Ron? Well, look at it this way. Only four people in this whole school get to be Keeper. And last year, Angelina picked you. That's got to be good for something. And now she thinks that you're good enough to be the captain. Lay on your back, you'll get more air that way," Wren said, rolling him onto his back. "Guess you're right. I can't be terrible," Ron said with a sigh. Wren smiled. Dammit. Why the hell couldn't she keep her eyes off of Ron's torso? She had to admit, a year of Quidditch had not been bad for the guy. He wasn't really big or muscular, but he definitely wasn't scrawny. No, definitely not. Whoa. Was that a four pack? Stop it! Wren Sophia Lupin, stop it right -- No! Stop! Wren hurriedly looked away when she realized that she was staring.  
"When that stuff is made, how long is it going to take for that stuff to work?" Ron asked curiously.  
Wren didn't look up. "It should work right away." She finally managed to look at Ron without staring. "Oh. And what exactly does it do?" Ron asked. "That's not important." Wren didn't want to worry Ron. There was no need for that as of now. She would, however, go speak with the headmaster later, but not until Ron was well again. Not until this thing was gone, otherwise, he would surely die. "Oh. All right." Ron yawned widely. "You know, being sick sucks." "It most certainly does, Ron." "I mean, you're stuck in bed all day with nothing to do except stare off into space," Ron said. "Yeah, but you get me to talk to. That's got to count for something, right?" Wren replied jokingly. Just as Ron was about to respond, the door to the boys' dormitory opened again, and in came Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin (on the only hour he had off from teaching that day), and Dumbledore himself. Mrs. Weasley instantly flocked to her son's bed and engulfed him in a hug. "Oh, Ron, you poor thing! The headmaster sent us an owl saying that you were very ill, and we came immediately!" Mrs. Weasley practically smothered Ron in a hug. "Mum, stop." Ron's face and ears were red from embarrassment. "I'm fine." "No, you are not fine, Ronald. You look half-dead, you know," Mrs. Weasley said, surveying her son. "Thanks, Mum," Ron mumbled sarcastically. "Hey, if you're not going to take that hug, can I have it?" Wren said with a smile.  
Mrs. Weasley looked at Wren as though she only just noticed her. It was then Wren's turn to be engulfed in a hug. "Thank you so much for looking after Ron, dear. It's so kind of you," she said. Wren looked over at Ron. "Ah ha. Now who's getting the hugs?" Ron laughed. "She doesn't hug, she squeezes the life out of you." "Nope. This is a true hug. Ha ha," Wren said, and Mrs. Weasley released her. "Anyway, it's really not a problem. I've got nothing better to do." "Oh, so I'm just a last resort?" Ron said, pretending to be mad. "Yes." Wren stuck her tongue out at him. "But don't you think you should be in the hosptial wing, Ron?" Mr. Weasley spoke up. "No," Wren blurted out. No. Definitely not. If Ron's taken to the hospital wing, it would be disastrous. Now she realized that they were all staring at her. "Er… Professors Dumbledore, Lupin, could I possibly see you for just a moment? It's about -- er -- classes," she said quickly. "I've just remembered." "All right," Dumbledore said, nodding meaningly at her. Lupin and Dumbledore followed her out of the boys' dormitory. "Okay. I know it seems like the most rational thing right now, but it's not. That is not an ordinary flu or anything. It's Voldemort. He's trying to possess Ron but it's not working. I know it," Wren said quietly. "Are you certain?" Dumbledore asked, apparently not surprised. "Absolutely." "And the reason that he hasn't yet possessed Ron?" Lupin asked. "Because he can't. Not fully, anyway. Voldemort can't so much as touch Ron so long as I'm around. Apparently, I have more power than Voldemort expected," Wren said. "But there is a way to restore Ron…?" Lupin asked. "Yes. I just need to finish the remedy and he'll be back to normal again. It will protect him from other said attempts," Wren explained. "Do you plan on telling him?" Lupin inquired. "No. At least not before Ron's well again. If I did, it would most likely frighten him and he would only become weaker." "An excellent idea. I suppose we'd better get back," said Dumbledore. "Right," said Wren before opening the door to the boys' dormitory again. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were congratulating Ron, and Wren knew that he had told them about the Quidditch position. "Ah, yes. I'd almost forgotten about that. Congratulations on becoming captain, Ron. Also, I must tell you about the upcoming event," Dumbledore said. "Event?" Ron's eyes widened slightly as he sat up. Wren lightly pushed him back down, standing at his side. "On Halloween a dance will take place celebrating the many years Hogwarts has had the house Quidditch teams. The captains open the dance, much like what happened at the Yule Ball," Dumbledore explained. "You mean, with partners?" Ron said, his voice an octave higher than normal. "Yes, Mr. Weasley." "Dancing?" "Hence the term dancing partners." "Oh. Then can I resign?" Wren nudged him. "Shut up, Ron. It's only a little dance." "I know that," Ron said snappily, his ears turning red slightly. Wren smiled. "You don't know how to dance, do you?" "I do!" Ron said. "All right, all right. Don't get defensive, Ron." "Defensive? Who's defensive?" "Calm down, Ron. Now, which girl do you want to take?" Wren said, sitting down next to him on the bed. "Hm… I don't know any girls except for Hermione. She'll be going with Harry, anyway," Ron said, looking deep in thought. "You don't know any girls except for Hermione, hm?" Anyone (except Ron, poor thing) could tell that Wren was growing angry. "Well, yeah." Wren's face turned red in embarrassment and anger. "Just what exactly do you think I am, Ron Weasley?! Oh, I get it now! I'm just the puppy sidekick, right?!" she blew up. Ron looked shocked at this response. "Huh? No, Wren, not at all. It's just, well, you're different from the girls here." "You're not exactly helping your case here!" Wren yelled. "I mean, you're older. You've got to be like eighteen or nineteen, right?" Ron said. "What are you talking about? Ron, if I were that old, don't you think I'd be in at least the seventh year classes in order to hide?" Wren said. "Er, I guess so. So, how old are you?" "Sixteen! Ron, no offense, but I think the fever's gone to your head!" Wren said exasperatedly. "I just meant that you seem older. You know, you act older than a lot of the girls here." Wren's anger quickly faded and was replaced with embarrassment. "No." "Nice save," Mr. Weasley said, leaning over to his son. "I still don't know who I'm going to take. Merlin, this and getting new players and Snape's essay…" Ron said bitterly. "I don't know why I'm doing this, but Ron, if you really are that desperate, you could always take me," Wren said, pouring this over in her mind. "You'd do that?" Ron asked, looking grateful. "Sure. If you want me to, I mean." "Yeah. That sounds - um… good. Sure," Ron said, looking a bit uncomfortable. Wren didn't know whether it was the fever or the dance that made him uncomfortable, but she decided that she had better get back to making the remedy.  
The adults soon left after bidding Ron wellness. Wren sighed as she stirred the concoction. Ron had fallen asleep almost as soon as they left. Wren wondered bitterly what it was like to sleep. Oh well. At least he was getting some rest. Wren yawned. She could not believe that it wasn't even a day since she had been running through the Forbidden Forest from the Death Eaters. She couldn't go back. She would never go back to him. Wren would gladly serve some payback to the man who had made her life hell. And how kind and generous her father had been. It was the only possible reason for Voldemort to try to possess Ron. To get to Wren. And if he ever did get her, what would happen then? He would kill her, no doubt. Or worse. Something utterly worse than physical torture: he could brainwash her. It had been known to have happened to others. Voldemort would remove all of her memories then Imperius her into doing whatever he wished. In this case, it would be slaughtering all of his foes. All of his foes -- who had become her friends, and she wouldn't be able to fight against it. She'd just be a walking corpse. And if Voldemort managed to possess Ron, the strain on his mortal body would undoubtedly destroy him. But Wren would not have it. She wouldn't let that happen. Ever…  
  
Wren was suddenly jolted awake. Her sensitive ears picked up the sound right away. It was Ron, and he was gasping. Wren immediately turned to him. His eyes were flashing from their ordinary blue to a piercing red…a red that Wren knew very well, and feared. Ron's eyes turned back to their normal blue color, but they were wide and filled with terror. "Help," he said weakly, his voice barely a whisper. And again, the flash of red jolted back to his eyes. Wren spun around to find that concoction on the floor. Thank the gods that it hadn't spilled. She picked it up and hurried back over. "Get that away from me, you wench!" Ron's voice was not his own now. It was high-pitched, and Wren froze for a second, terror spreading throughout her body. The man who had killed so many…the man who had killed her very mother right in front of her eyes. Wren didn't know why this hit her so hard, but it did. Her fear quickly turned into anger and utter loathing. "Leave Ron alone! It's me that you're after, not him, you vile scum!" She climbed on top of the bed, struggling to hold him still. Wren grabbed his jaw and forced his mouth open. She poured the liquid down Ron's throat. Ron/Voldemort grabbed Wren sharply by the shoulders, digging his nails into her skin. Wren yelped and struggled against his surprising strength. Suddenly, Ron's eyes changed back and he released her. He stared at Wren, his eyes wild. "D-did that really happen or did I just dream it?" he said hoarsely. "Yeah," Wren managed to choke out. For a few moments, the two just stared at the other, until Wren realized that she was still laying on Ron's chest. She scrambled off the bed. Ron sat up, rubbing his head. "Merlin. I didn't hurt you, did I, Wren?" he asked concernedly. Wren smiled. She loved that worried look in his eyes. "No, Ron. I'm fine. What about yourself? You should feel back to normal by now." "Yeah. Actually, I feel fine," Ron said, looking confused. "So, I was being possessed the whole time?" "Well, not quite. He was trying to possess you, Ron. I saw it almost right away. But I guess your will was too strong or something, because he was having a very hard time of it. And after a while, you'd weakened, and it was becoming easier for him to go deeper and deeper into your mind. Apparently, Voldemort underestimated me, because I was able to keep him from going any farther. But we both fell asleep. In our weakened states, possessing you was becoming easier for him. You don't have to worry about that any more, though," Wren said, stretching. She looked at her watch in disbelief. She'd only been asleep for twenty minutes. "Oh," was all that Ron was able to say. "Well, I'm feeling a lot better. Thanks." Thanks? The girl just saved your life and all you can think of is THANKS?! Ron thought angrily.  
"Um, any time?" Wren said, blushing slightly. "Er, then you want to go sit in the common room? There's not much else to do." "Sure," Ron said with a shrug. He sat up and put his shirt back on. He followed Wren downstairs and could find that his eyes seemed to be locked on a certain desirable part of her.  
He plopped down on the couch right next to her. Ron wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I really owe you one, Wren. You probably saved my life." Wren shrugged, leaning her head against his chest. She was exhausted, and the energy it had taken to ward off the full possession of Ron had drained her almost completely. "Don't think on it. You would have done the same for me," she said with a wide yawn. "No, I wouldn't have. I don't have all that power," Ron said, patting the top of her head. He was examining her ears inconspicuously. He was tired too: being attacked from the inside out was not a pleasant thing, and he had been fighting all that time to keep it away from him. "I meant you would if you could," Wren said, another yawn escaping her lips. "You know, I'm going to tell you something that nobody else knows. Well, at least Hermione and Harry don't know yet." "What is it?" Ron asked, eager to know this secret. "Isaacs isn't my real last name." She looked up into a face of freckled shock. "It's Lupin." Ron's jaw dropped. "You're related to Professor Lupin? Wicked," Ron said, his eyes wide. "Actually, I'm his daughter. Voldemort" -- Ron cringed slightly at the name -- "killed my mother when I was two and took me with him. My dad thought I'd died as well. He never spoke of it. I guess it's because it was so sad for him. Anyway, Isaacs was my mother's maiden name. And the ears aren't from what Voldemort did to me. It's a result of having two werewolf parents. But in exchange, I don't have to turn into a wolf every month. But the increase in running and leaping and the different healing process was done when by him when I was very little," Wren confessed. "Bloody hell," was all that Ron could say. "I haven't told anyone else because -- well -- I wasn't sure I could trust them. Except for Harry and Hermione. I already trust them. I just don't exactly know what I would say or when I would slip it in," Wren said, feeling as though an insurmountable weight had been lifted from her chest. "Hermione's going to be going on about this for an hour," Ron said, a smile spreading across his lips. "That's weird. Both of your parents are werewolves but you don't become a werewolf at all." "Yes, but I become very weak during full moons. I lose all of my powers. You know, the leaping thing and my healing ability. But I am able to turn into a wolf at will," Wren said with a yawn. Ron's eyes widened. "Whoa. You're an Animagus?" "No, not quite. I mean, I didn't have to work at becoming one. I've just been able to do that for as far back as I could remember. It comes in handy, occasionally. That's why nobody could find me when I'd run from Voldemort. All they saw was a wolf," Wren explained. "Lucky," Ron muttered. He yawned widely. "I'm glad you told me all that. Would it be okay if I told Hermione and Harry?" "Of course. I'd be grateful if you'd do that," Wren said. As she rested her head on his chest, she could hear the soft beating of his heart. She yawned again and began thinking. She was vaguely aware of an arm wrapping around her before she fell asleep.  
  
"Ron, what the hell are you doing?!" Harry's voice pierced Ron's dream. He blinked, and was surprised to find a black mass against his chest. After a few minutes of waking up, Ron realized that Wren was lying on top of him on the couch, her hands resting on his chest. His hand was resting on her waist, and he quickly removed it. Ron turned his head toward the voice, trying not to wake Wren. Hermione and Harry were staring at him with their jaws slightly ajar. "What the hell are you doing?!" Harry repeated. Ron found that he could only mouth words rather than speak them. Finally, he managed to speak. "I…I fell asleep," he whispered. "I see that," Hermione said, a small smile spreading across her face. Ron glared. "It wasn't like that, I…" Ron shifted slightly, making sure he did not wake Wren. He carefully slid out from beneath her without waking, lightly putting a blanket on her. "What happened?" Harry demanded, still looking horrified. "We fell asleep on the couch, that's it! Don't give me that look, Hermione, that's all that happened. We were sitting on the couch and then we fell asleep. That's all!" "Okay. We believe you, Ron. You have no idea what's been traveling all over the school. Everyone's saying that Wren is Lupin's -" But Ron cut Hermione off. "Daughter. Yeah, I know. She told me. Do you guys know about all that other cool stuff?" he asked. "Yes," the two replied in unison. "But how did you find out?" "It was a combination of Siri-- Snuffles and Lupin," Harry said. Ron ran a hand through his hair and looked at his watch. "Bloody hell. We were both out for hours!" "Lupin also told us what happened. How terrible, Ron. Are you all right?" Hermione began fretting, tears welling in her eyes. Ron laughed. "Hermione, you're worse than my mum. I'm fine. So… How many people exactly know about this?" " 'This' what?" "Well, all of it." "Yeah, everyone knows about almost everything that happened. They know that she's Lupin's daughter, that you were almost possessed and that you two were caught snuggling. We just wanted to make sure it wasn't true," Harry said, smirking slightly. Ron punched him playfully on the shoulder. "Shut up, Harry." "Do you think we should wake her? It's nearly dinner," Hermione asked, smiling as one of Wren's ears twitched. "No. She should be up soon. Besides, she hardly got any sleep yesterday and today, you know," Ron said quietly, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders. Merlin, she's so cute when she sleeps, Ron thought. He immediately forced these thoughts out of his mind and mentally scolded himself. The four went down to dinner, where Ron got many glares and snide comments, which he immediately responded with, "That's a lie!" And no matter how many times Ron attempted to look at Professor Lupin to try to make him understand that nothing had happened, Lupin would simply advert his glance. "Yeh know it's not true, so why the ruddy hell are yeh so upset?" Hagrid said to Remus when he could no longer take it. "What? What are you talking about, Hagrid?" Remus tried to play innocent. "What the students said abou' Ron an' Wren isn' true, and yeh know it Remus. It's jus' a rumor made up by some kids," Hagrid said, shrugging. "What? Oh, I know. She wouldn't… I mean, I think she wouldn't…" Remus was now back to his doubts. Hagrid playfully pushed him. "Remus, yeh know she didn't, so back off." "Molly and Arthur's son…" grumbled Remus. Knowing that Remus would not drop the matter easily, Hagrid sighed and returned to his meal.  
Just then, Wren sat down next to Hermione. She yawned widely. "How long was I out?" she asked with a small laugh. "About as long as I was," Ron said. "Oh yes. I'll have you know that you're a very comfortable friend, Ron," laughed Wren. "Right…" "What's the matter?" Wren asked curiously. "Well, er…" Hermione sighed. "Rumors were spreading about how you and Ron, er, got intimate," she said, blushing madly. Wren blushed. "What? That's crazy!" she said, eyes going wide. "Yeah, that's what I said!" said Ron. "Preposterous!" "Yeah, I know!" Ron paused. "Wait…" "Anyway, a lot of people think that you're a bit of a…um…" "Slut?" groaned Wren. "To put it that way, yes," Hermione said, wincing slightly. "Oh yeah. Everyone knows that you're Lupin's daugther and all that stuff," Harry added casually. Wren looked stunned. "I'm really sorry, you guys. It's not that I didn't want to tell you, it's just that I didn't know when to." "Don't think on it. I didn't." Just then, a red-faced Slytherin stormed over to them. He glared at Wren. "WHAT THE HELL, LUPIN?!" Wren looked shocked. "Uh… What is it, Malfoy?" "You know very damn well what it is!" snapped Malfoy. "Er…" "How in hell is it possible for you to go to Weasel instead of me?!" Wren (and everyone else in the room) had obviously not been expecting this. She looked totally stunned/disgusted. She could only blink for a few moments. "Huh?" "How could you go for him when he's so poor and dirty! He's hardly even full blood! And his mother is so ungodly f-" "SHE IS NOT FAT!" It was not Ron who yelled this, but Wren. Within seconds, she had her wand pointed at his chest. "Don't you dare say it, Malfoy, or I'll Transfigure you into a rat!" Malfoy suddenly looked quite scared. He tried to act nonchalantly about it, and said, "Cool it, Lupin. I was just -- you know, teasing…" His hand suddenly found her backside. Wren's face turned a deep shade of burgundy. Harry wasn't sure whether it was from her anger or if she was embarrassed, or maybe even a combination of both. SMACK! Wren stormed away, fists clenched into balls at her side, her face scarlet. Malfoy could only look after in shock.


End file.
